Browns QB Manziel to start Sunday; McCown still not cleared from concussion

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will start Sunday in the home opener against the Tennessee Titans because starter Josh McCown has yet to be medically cleared to return from a concussion, the team announced Friday.

McCown met with an independent neurologist Friday morning but did not receive the green light to practice. McCown, who’s 17-33 as an NFL starter, remains in the league’s concussion protocol and has officially been ruled out for Sunday.

On Thursday, Browns coach Mike Pettine said he couldn’t envision sitting McCown against the Titans if the veteran were cleared in time to fully participate in Friday’s session.

But with McCown out, Sunday’s game between the Browns (0-1) and Titans (1-0) will feature a matchup of former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.

Manziel received the honor in 2012 at Texas A&M University, and Titans rookie Marcus Mariota earned it last year at the University of Oregon. Mariota is coming to town after throwing four touchdown passes and posting a perfect rating of 158.3 in his regular-season NFL debut.

It will be Manziel’s first start since last year when he went 0-2 during a disastrous rookie season.

Now he’s seeking redemption.

“I’m just trying to go out and play better football than I have in the past,” Manziel said Wednesday. “I’ve been disappointed in the way I’ve performed, especially ending the season last year. It didn’t end on a very good note.”

McCown suffered the concussion Sunday in the first quarter of the season-opening, 31-10 loss to the New York Jets while attempting to dive into the end zone for a touchdown.

Manziel entered the game during the Browns’ next possession early in the second quarter. He completed 13-of-24 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with an interception, posting a rating of 75.3 and losing two fumbles. He also rushed five times for 35 yards (7.0 average) and took three sacks.

“Was it better on Sunday? Sure, it was better,” said Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft. “Did I feel more comfortable? Sure. But did I do some things that looking back that I would have like to have back? Absolutely. So now moving forward 1/8the key is3/8 don’t make those same mistakes again. I need to learn from what I did, see the field and just trust what’s gotten me to this level.”

Third-string quarterback Austin Davis will serve as Manziel’s primary backup against the Titans. Pettine said Davis would also receive some reps with the starter this week. Davis, who went 3-5 as a starter for the St. Louis Rams last season, signed with the Browns on Sept. 7.

Manziel was listed on the injury report as a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, Pettine said the Browns would limit Manziel’s throws in practice this week because of his problematic right arm.

The 22-year-old Manziel has endured soreness in his elbow and forearm caused by tendinitis since his freshman year in college. The issue flared up in practice Aug. 23, forcing him to miss the final two preseason games. It also bothered him at times Sunday when he played in place of McCown for the final three quarters.

“They are still monitoring me a little bit, so we don’t push it into any excess or anything like that,” Manziel said Wednesday. “But I got every single throw that I needed to with the people I needed to, and I think they’ve done a really good job of handling it. There’s no point in going out there and throwing any meaningless balls that could potentially push it over the edge, but my elbow feels really good.”

Manziel will feel better overall if he can prepare in a duel with Mariota.

This past Sunday, Mariota, the second overall pick, became the first player since at least 1933 with a perfect passer rating (158.3) in his first professional game and joined hall of famer Fran Tarkenton as the only rookies in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a season opener.

It’s early, but Mariota looks like a bona fide franchise quarterback. On the other hand, Manziel has a lot to prove before anyone views him in the same light.

It’s a popular narrative Manziel is trying to tune out.

“I want to continue to improve and go out and not care, not worry about what anybody else is saying,” Manziel said. “There was a time I was talked about every single day on every station around the entire country. There were days where I was talked about good. There were days I was talked about bad. Now it’s 1/8important3/8 for me to block all that out, do what I need to do in this locker room, make sure I’m prepared and go out on Sunday and try to do better than I did last week.”

(c)2015 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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